POI Equalizer crossover stories
by whomii2
Summary: series of crossover fics between POI and Equalizer (POI centric)
1. Chapter 1 Equivalence

Reese found himself identifying with their latest number: a former agent who became disillusioned with the Agency and sought atonement for past "sins" by helping citizens in the New York area.

But while the number was a tough old bird, he was a bit too old school for Reese's taste in insisting on going to the meet alone so as to not risk the hostage. Fortunately the admonishment to stay away hadn't sat well with the old agents sidekick Mickey either, and the amount of firepower Reese and Mickey brought with them quickly turned the tide when the ransom drop was revealed to be an ambush.

John anticipated their paths would most likely cross again in the future if they both continued on their respective quests for redemption, and he was looking forward to it.

John also loved the disgruntled expression on Finch's face when he teased that apparently the same mission could be achieved without the use of a sophisticated machine but by simply placing an add in the paper - it certainly worked for Robert McCall!


	2. Chapter 2 Loss of Control

Finch was surprised when he got the call. He hadn't thought Robert's pride would allow him to reach out for help. The situation must be drastic indeed. A few minutes into the conversation he understood. Control was missing, and with his absence many of the avenues McCall used to obtain information were closed.

Finch was aware that McCall had asked Control to do a background check on them when their paths had first collided. Control had found nothing on Harold, of course. John, however, was far from discrete. But Control had never indicated to any other agencies what he knew about John's presence or activities; Finch appreciated that discretion.

The situation with their current number had reached a critical point, and Reese couldn't detach to help search for Control. Reese and McCall hadn't hit it off when they first met, perhaps seeing too much of themselves reflected in the other. But things had thawed between them by the end of their collaboration.

While Reese may have ultimately warmed up to Robert, his disaffection with his own handlers had spilled over as resentment toward Control. He wasn't thrilled with Finch getting involved without his being there to keep an eye on the situation.

Finch reminded John that Control had in fact proven more trustworthy than Carter. Although Finch had reconciled himself to Carter's presence in their little group, he hadn't forgotten the aftermath of her little betrayal. Sometimes he still woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding with the memory of that frantic drive, afraid that he wouldn't reach John in time. The shock of John's appearance, and all that blood; the worry that his contingency plan wouldn't be good enough; having to help with the impromptu surgery in the morgue - it was all a nightmare that would haunt Finch for a long time.

Finch pondered the meeting arrangements. Having them come to the library was out of the question. McCall might have initially dismissed Finch as merely a talented hacker and John's "tech support," but without the distraction of the mission no doubt he would start to reconsider. Finch didn't want McCall developing too many questions. He opted to take one of his secure laptaps and pick up McCall and his sidekick Kostmayer in the limo. The seating arrangements meant that they couldn't get too close a look at whatever he brought up on his laptop. And their constant motion would prevent any observation or eavesdropping by a third party.

Mickey wasn't sure why they were going to outside help. Granted they hadn't turned up much on their own, but this Finch was still a relative unknown. He wasn't sure what Robert expected Finch to do, but then Robert was a little desperate at this point as time was running out. The Agency would disavow Control if he was unavailable for too long.

He was surprised when the little man picked them up in a limo. After questioning Robert for a few more details about Control's disappearance, he offered them the drinks and snacks in the minibar while he set to work. Mickey fidgeted, impatient for John's little hacker friend to finish whatever it was he was doing. Robert sat calmly gazing out the window, not displaying any of the tension he must be feeling and ignoring Kostmayer completely. Mickey stilled himself when Finch looked up from his laptop, fixing Mickey with an inscrutable stare through his glasses. When he was satisfied that Mickey had been appropriately quelled, he turned back to typing rapidly on his laptop. Mickey tried to remain still and quiet; sometimes the little guy could be a bit…intimidating (not to mention slightly creepy).

A short time later Finch spoke "I believe you will find your missing colleague at the abandoned noodle factory. Estimate 7 men on site. I have sent the layout for the building to your Blackberry with current estimated positions of Control and his captors. I can update you when you are on site."

McCall thanked Finch politely for his assistance, and began calling some of his other contacts to help with the rescue. Mickey was momentarily surprised by the quickness and thoroughness of the intel, but dismissed those thoughts as he began to mentally run through his weapons cache in order to decide which to bring to the party.


	3. Chapter 3 Rescue

It was a tough call, but John decided to bring in McCall on the rescue once the machine provided Finch's location. Fusco and Carter were certainly willing, but less likely to be as ruthless as necessary to do whatever it took.

Carter most certainly might have a few qualms about what might be necessary. Although Fusco had shown a willingness to get his hands dirty, at the end of the day he still thought like a cop. Trained to minimize casualties, even amongst perpetrators, whereas John and Robert were trained to do whatever it took to complete the mission. They might feel bad about it afterwards, but they wouldn't hesitate at the time.

So Carter and Fusco would secure the safe house, ready to take on guard duty when they arrived. Or serve as backup. If necessary, John had even instructed them to call in reinforcements. A sighting of the "man in a suit" would certainly bring out a heavily armed response. Since Finch was currently not a known associate of Reese, he would be safe enough as "innocent victim" until Carter or Fusco could whisk him out from under official eyes. Reese would deal with the consequences later if Finch made it out safely.

There was also another reason he held Carter and Fusco back. Finch was a proud man, and would never want anyone to see him in the condition John feared he might be in. He wouldn't be happy with McCall and Kostmayer seeing him, but at least he wouldn't have the stress of dealing with them all the time while working the numbers.

Clearly Root had wanted something from Finch or she wouldn't have taken him; instead John would have found two bodies waiting for him. There were many different ways of "persuading" someone against their will, and none of them were pretty.

McCall at least could suggest some options for dealing with what John was afraid they might find.

John might be cavalier about his own health, but it was inexcusable to be that way about Finch. Harold had clearly anticipated the need for medical attention and planned accordingly. If John knew his Finch, he probably had plotted out multiple contingencies depending on the situation and circumstances.

Why hadn't John offered his partner the same consideration? Instead he had sent a man with limited physical capacity and little training out into the field. It had been a bit of a tease, a way to ruffle the feathers of the prim little man. And maybe also a little bit an attempt to regain a small measure of control in their relationship. But John should have reconsidered after the first time Finch was placed at risk. Harold certainly showed no inclination to back down in the face of danger, for all that he would claim not to be a courageous man. Really, they had been lucky Harold had escaped so many near misses: the assassin, the precinct robbery, the car bomb, running to John's rescue in the face of his former CIA colleagues, getting drugged by one of their numbers. Thinking back, it made John cringe how poorly he had looked after the other man. After Jessica, shouldn't John have learned to take better care of the people who were important to him? Instead, he had continued on business as usual until their string of luck finally ran out.

Robert hadn't been sure that John could maintain the necessary detachment when they retrieved Finch. So he had assigned John and Mickey a frontal assault as a diversion, while McCall liberated Harold. John and Mickey had certainly made an impression Robert thought as he surveyed the smoking ruin, a dazed Finch wobbling at his side.


	4. Chapter 4 Sorry Bastards

The aftermath of a brawl wasn't his usual type of case, but since he was in the vicinity Fusco responded to the request for assistance.

A quick confab with the officers on scene indicated a gang of toughs had apparently been hassling a girl at the club. Two would-be rescuers had valiantly but somewhat ineffectually intervened on her behalf. Their efforts had at least succeeded in drawing the attention of the club bouncers, who successfully scared off the perps.

Stepping up to interview the people involved, Fusco groaned to himself and figured the would-be attackers were soon to be the sorriest bastards on the planet.

Scott McCall was holding ice to what would soon be an impressive black eye, while Will Ingram was dabbing at his bloody nose with a soggy handkerchief. The subject of the whole fiasco, a pretty young girl wearing a borrowed jacket and with big scared eyes, was nestled protectively between the two young men. Having assured himself that all three were in relatively good shape, he had them hustled off to the safety of the precinct while he set about the unpleasant task of informing their families about what had occurred.

Mickey and John were of course outraged on their friends' behalf over the incident and were eager for a little payback. But Daddy McCall beat them to the punch, being quicker in following Finch's lead to the offenders and "persuading" them to rethink any further actions (for an older man the ex-agent could be rather -intimidating). All that was left for Mickey and John to do was help in the clean up. Fusco then watched as "Uncle Harold," not wanting to be left out, set about systematically dismantling and destroying the attackers lives from his computer at the library, all while the others egged him on. (This only confirmed Fusco's opinion once again that Finch was the scariest BAMF of the lot of them.)

Maddie Tylor was relieved when Detective Fusco assured her she wouldn't have any more trouble from her attackers. She was surprised when she overheard snippets of conversation at the precinct about a silver-haired gentleman who had confronted the gang. She didn't know how he could have heard about the situation, but there was only one person she could think of who would do such a thing for her.

Gibbs was surprised to receive an early morning call from Maddie. He was concerned to hear she was embroiled in trouble again, relieved that someone had stepped in on her behalf, and a little pissed off that it wasn't him who had earned her thanks this time. Not content to let the matter rest, he stormed into NCIS later that morning and barked at his team to look into the situation to ensure that Maddie really was out of danger. Meanwhile, he went up to Vance's office to request time off for a quick visit to New York. Even if everything was ok, he had heard something in Maddie's voice when she mentioned that she and her rescuers were going out to celebrate that night. Their attempted defense of her spoke well of their character, but Gibbs wasn't going to let Maddie get involved with either of those boys without checking them out personally and putting a little fear of Gibbs into them.

Abby and McGee were a little in awe of what had been done to the perpetrators. When they explained it in layman's terms, Tony had whistled and even Ziva seemed impressed. Gibbs would have to admit that after all that the thugs had much bigger problems and would definitely be leaving Maddie alone in the future. Whoever her mysterious guardian angel was, the man was one mean SOB. Gibbs could get behind that, and would definitely buy him a drink if they ever met.


End file.
